Odilon Ford Winery Inc

11/30/2025

Opening a little late Sunday. After a record November snow fall for Madison (about 12"), the plows haven't gotten to the winery lot, so we are shoveling it out by hand. Hopefully we will be open by 3 today!

11/29/2025

Due to the weather Odilon Ford Winery will be closed today (11/29). But, we will be open Sunday for your small business shopping enjoyment. The roads are pretty slippery today so stay safe if you have to venture out. Cheers.

11/22/2025

The 2025 Derecho Nouveau has arrived! Two Derechos this year. A Marquette and a Marechal Foch. Harvested only 6 weeks ago from Sampson Valley Vineyard, these dry red wines are perfect holiday meal companions. I loved the 2023, and 2024 Nouveaus, but I think these are the best Nouveaus we have made. Cheers.

11/10/2025

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior — a story deeply rooted in Great Lakes history and brought to wide public attention through Gordon Lightfoot’s song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”

There is a tale that during the ship’s christening, it took three attempts to break the bottle of champagne against the bow. Some have called that a bad omen; others view it simply as a moment in time.
Regardless of interpretation, what followed on November 10, 1975, remains a tragedy that echoes across generations.

In a small way, the Odilon Ford winemaker recently worked on something connected to that night. He helped with the process of navigating and aligning old weather satellite imagery from the storm that contributed to the sinking. The team at the University of Wisconsin’s Space Science and Engineering Center put together a detailed post discussing the event and the reconstruction of the imagery:

➡️ https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satellite-blog/archives/67656

Also included here is one of the composited images combining additional channels from current satellites to better depict non cloudy surfaces better showing the storm, built from the individual visible channel available at the time:

🌫️ https://dcarchivex.ssec.wisc.edu/robo/edmund_fitz/edmundgw19751110_1080.png

At Odilon Ford Winery, our sparkling wines are traditionally opened by gently releasing the cork or crown cap — no smashing bottles on steel hulls! — but today, when we raise a glass, we do so in remembrance of the 29 sailors who never returned home.

To the lakes, the people who work them, and the stories that bind us to this region.

10/10/2025

Perfect weather for harvest.

Fall Colors and Last Harvest!
The chilly weather is officially here! We had a couple of light frosts this week, which should really help the leaves start showing off their vibrant fall colors!

The weather for our last regular harvest tomorrow, Saturday, October 11th, looks perfect! The Petite Pearl grapes are reaching peak ripeness, and they look amazing.

We'd love a hand bringing in the final bounty! If you're free and want to join us for a beautiful day outside, stop on out and lend your support.

See you tomorrow!

10/04/2025

Another beautiful start to our second Saturday of harvesting the 2025 vintage at Sampson Valley Vineyard.

09/27/2025

Harvest for our wines begins!

This year's harvest starts tomorrow 9/27! Stop on out if you would like to see what is all about.